


Glory Be

by Winged_Fool



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Cults, Dark, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, POV Outsider, Possessive Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 17:26:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winged_Fool/pseuds/Winged_Fool
Summary: Alex's mother takes him with her when she escapes Jesse's abuse and they end up being taken in by Antar Commune. Cult AU





	Glory Be

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [ el_gilliath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/el_gilliath/pseuds/el_gilliath) for helping me shape the plot for this one and [ christchex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/christchex/pseuds/christchex) for creating the perfect playlist to inspire me to finish this fic up.
> 
> WARNING: there is a pretty graphic scene of torture towards the end

Xochitl packs her and Alex’s things the morning after Jesse first beats Alex. She leaves her other sons with Jesse - they’re older, stronger, more like Jesse, and he’s never laid a hand on them before. But Alex. Alex is her sweet boy who still loves bedtime stories and is just too gentle.

She drives away with Alex in the passenger seat, still black and blue from the beating, and without a plan except putting as much distance between them and Jesse Manes. She doesn’t have a red cent to her name or anywhere for them to go, but it’s better than staying with him. They live in their car, she and Alex panhandling for gas and food money. They sleep tightly wrapped together and she looks the other way when Alex cries.

A few months after they’ve left, Alex is getting increasingly more lethargic and she worries about it. They’re sitting at the counter of a diner as she counts out the coins they’d gotten from the morning of panhandling and Alex is listlessly pushing his food around on his plate. He looks pale and his gaze is unfocused and the worry in her stomach knots further. They can barely afford to eat, she can’t take him to a doctor. As her doubts about leaving Jesse begin to mount, a kind-looking blonde woman sits next to them.

“Hello sweetie,” the woman addresses Alex and he sluggishly turns to face her.

“Hello?” he responds dazedly.

The woman beams at Alex then looks over at Xochitl, a sad smile and look of pity in her eyes. “Dear, are you okay?”

Xochitl nearly breaks down in tears then, no one has shown them kindness since they left the Manes household. She shakes her head and the woman pulls her into a tight hug. “Tell me,” she commands gently and that’s how she ends up telling this stranger about their plight.

The woman listens and makes sympathetic noises where appropriate. At the story’s conclusion, she takes some money out of her purse and flags down the server to pay for their meal. “My name is Ann,” she introduces, “I was lost like you, but then I found Antar.”

“Antar?” she asks.

Ann nods enthusiastically, “It’s a community of people like us, lost and without a family. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Would you like me to take you?”

Xochitl looks over at Alex who has laid his head down on the counter and is closing his eyes then turns her attention back to Ann. “Do you have doctors there?”

Ann squeezes her hand, “We have everything.”

* * *

Ann drives them to Antar, three hours out from the diner. During the drive, Xochitl cradles Alex’s limp, feverish body against her chest. Finally, they pull into a commune with strange buildings. “Earthships,” Ann explains. “They’re self-sustaining buildings made from tires, glass bottles, mud, and adobe.” She goes on to explain that Antar lives completely off the grid, the Earthships have solar panels for their electricity and are equipped to collect water and reuse it.

Ann drives them to the largest Earthship that looks like a castle, with towers looming over the building. She gets out of the car and holds a hand out to Xochitl who is carrying Alex and leads them into the castle. The inside of the building is just a large hall and there is a regal looking woman sitting at a table with three small children.

“Mara,” Ann calls out and all four occupants turn to look at her. Two of the children, a boy with black hair and a girl with blonde, smile toothily at Ann, the other boy with honey curls stays sitting as the woman stands to greet them.

“Ann,” she says warmly. “Welcome home. Who do you have here?”

“This is Xochitl and her son Alex.” Ann introduces and places a hand on Xochitl’s shoulder. “They’ve lost their family and Alex here is ill.”

Mara makes a sympathetic noise and ushers the children to the side of the hall then instructs Xochitl to lay Alex down on the table. She places a hand on Alex’s chest and looks up to smile reassuringly at Xochitl before returning her attention back to Alex. “May the Universe bring you back to us, Alex,” she intones and a soft, orange glow emits from her hand and Alex’s eyes flutter open. The curly-haired boy watches the exchange with rapt fascination.

Xochitl gasps loudly and covers her mouth while tears begin to fall. Mara takes her hand off Alex and sits him up. “Welcome to Antar, Alex. Your mother was worried about you, go give her a hug.”

Alex’s face looks full again, his skin no longer pale, and he climbs off the table and hugs Xochitl tightly. “Oh, baby, I was so worried about you,” she whispers into his hair then looks over to Mara. “Thank you, thank you.”

Mara smiles serenely, “We take care of our own here. Ann, why don’t you take them to the Valenti-Deluca Earthship?”

Ann smiles and complies with her orders. She continues to explain the set up of Earthships, that each one has five bedrooms and they can house two or three families. The Deluca-Valenti Earthship is home to Mimi and Maria Deluca and Michelle, Jim, and Kyle Valenti. Alex and Xochitl move into the empty room and they settle in very quickly to their new life. Maria and Kyle are about Alex’s age and they become fast friends.

Life at the commune is pleasant enough. Just as Ann had said, all of the residents had left behind some difficult life and they all treated each other like family. Antar was at least two hours away from the nearest town and that, plus being off the grid, made Xochitl feel safe from Jesse’s clutches. She mostly keeps to herself, but Alex assimilates easily with the rest of the commune.

There are teachers at Antar that run a rudimentary school for the children. The adults that don’t teach, farm food for the commune or weave textiles for clothes and blankets. Xochitl joins the weavers and feels like she’s contributing to the community and it makes her feel the most at peace she’s ever been in her life. She’s escaped Jesse and she has her precious boy with her.

Mara is the leader of Antar and is revered by its people for her healing touch, her ability to move things with her mind, and being able to get into people’s minds to ease the traumatic pain the people have endured before coming to Antar. In the evenings, the commune convenes in the castle Earthship and Mara preaches about the dangers of the outside world, how they were all ordained to come to Antar, that they are the Family of the Universe, and that she will protect them always. It’s not always that heavy, she also reminds them that they are loved and absolutely deserve to be despite what their pasts might have told them.

Mara has a son, that curly-haired boy Xochitl and Alex saw when they first arrived. His name is Michael and he will someday take over the commune. The other two children are Michael’s cousins, Max and Isobel, and they live with Ann. The three of them spend most of their time with Mara who teaches them how to hone their skills as they each have some form of the powers that Mara has. Max and Isobel interact more with the people of Antar, but Mara has Michael at her side at all times, preparing him to eventually take over her responsibilities.

The first two years they’re at Antar pass by quickly and quietly. They've carved out a peaceful life in Antar and even though some of the things Mara preaches sound strange to Xochitl, she’s happy. Alex is well-liked in the community and she has friends in Jim, Michelle, and Mimi. It’s not the isolated life that Jesse would have confined them to and that’s enough for her.

She often thinks about the things that people say about Mara. How she is a god living among them, their protector. Xochitl remembers the way Mara had healed Alex, and she can’t explain how it happened, but a god? She's not sure if she believes that. 

One evening, while Alex and Mara are getting ready for bed, she expresses some of her doubts to him. “Sometimes people believe things and it’s easier to let them believe it than argue with them.” She tells him while tucking him into their bed. “If Mara and the people here believe she’s a god, then that’s fine.”

“Mara isn’t a god,” Alex murmurs sleepily, “Michael is, she’s just the vessel that brought him to us.”

Xochitl startles at hearing Antar’s doctrine come out of Alex so easily. He’s only twelve, she assures herself, he doesn’t know better. When he gets older, he’ll realize the absurdity of it. So, instead of correcting him, she hums in agreement, not realizing this is the start of her losing her precious boy.

* * *

As the years pass, Alex grows closer to Maria and Kyle. Mimi reads their auras for them and tells them that they all have important roles to fulfill in Antar. Jim often shakes his head and rolls his eyes at it. Xochitl suspects that Jim has some doubts about Antar, but she never talks to him about it, too fearful to voice her own doubts.

Things shift when Alex is seventeen. Michael has always kept to the periphery of the rest of Antar, but Mara encourages him to spend more time with everyone else. He and Alex immediately take a shine to each other. Michael spends time learning about everyone’s trade in Antar, he’s genuinely interested in everyone and often thanks them for their contributions. He’s kind and ridiculously smart, he grasps all the trade explanations easily and everyone likes him, even Xochitl despite herself.

But with Alex. There’s something else there. Michael seems fascinated by him and Alex appears to revel in the attention. They’re often locked in hushed conversations, just the two of them. Xochitl doesn’t know how to feel about it and she often sees Mara watching them with a thoughtful look on her face.

Michael leaves the commune for a few days and Alex mopes the entire time. Maria and Kyle tease him endlessly for it and Alex laughs with them, but when Michael returns, he drops everything to welcome him home. Michael is pushing a guitar into Alex’s hands when Xochitl follows Alex out and his face has lit up. “We can play it together,” Alex says excitedly and reverently brushes his fingers over the strings. “Thank you.”

Michael pulls him into a hug, “I’ll give you anything you want.”

The exchange frightens Xochitl. They’re too young to be saying things like this. And Michael will someday be running Antar, what will that mean for Alex? Mara breaks up the hug and reprimands Michael then, in front of Alex and the rest of the people who were out. “Michael, you cannot be showing preferential treatment to Alex. You’re supposed to love everyone equally.”

Alex shrinks back but tightly holds onto the guitar. It’s the first time Michael defies Mara, “I do love everyone equally. I just love Alex more.” He takes Alex’s hand and marches away with him, leaving Mara standing alone. She looks over at Xochitl, who just wrings her hands helplessly. Mara huffs and returns to the castle and the rest of the audience go back to their business, but Xochitl remains rooted to her spot, unable to move or understand what has happened.

Shortly after that, Michael starts taking on more responsibility in Antar. He takes over preaching twice a week and his sermons are less doomsday than Mara’s, but he still stresses the importance of staying united in the face of the danger beyond Antar. He also speaks more about the Universe and the important role everyone has to play for it. Alex sits at the front for Michael’s sermons and he hangs on his every word. Michael even takes over some of the healing in Antar, he has the same orange touch as Mara, and he is more generous with healing - minor cuts and bruises and everything beyond is healed by him. The people take to Michael easily, there is still love and respect for Mara, but Michael is their savior and he asks for nothing in return for his kindness.

He starts building his own Earthship, it’s smaller than most of the others because he won’t be expected to share with others. Alex sits at the site while Michael works, using a combination of his hands and telekinesis. Alex strums at his guitar, eyes closed, and softly sings for only Michael to hear. Aside from hugs and fleeting touches, they never show any physical affection so Xochitl doesn’t really understand what kind of relationship they have. Just close friends or something more?

The major limitation Mara and Michael have to their healing abilities is that they get tired out and too much healing can lead to them being weakened, so Kyle is chosen to leave Antar to become a doctor for the commune. He’s frightened to leave, but Mara allows Jim to go with him to get settled in Michigan. He returns for every break, but his anxiety about leaving continues so Jim accompanies him back every time. Xochitl is amazed by it, she thought leaving would be good for Kyle, to understand that life existed beyond Antar, but he is always reluctant to leave and doesn’t have anything good to say about the outside world. He only goes because he has a duty to Antar and would never let them down. But Jim, who always seemed skeptical of Antar’s teachings, seems to become more jaded upon returning and it worries Xochitl.

Mara requests that Maria start spending more time with Isobel to learn and understand how their psychic abilities differ. It doesn’t take long before they’re seen in intimate embraces and exchanging soft and gentle kisses. They both seem so happy and smitten with each other. Mimi is thrilled and Mara approves. It makes Xochitl think of Mimi’s predictions of the three of them, being destined to fulfill some important destiny in Antar. Kyle is going to be a doctor, Maria is Isobel’s girlfriend, and Alex...Alex is important to Michael, however that means.

It scares Xochitl because she knows Mara doesn’t like Alex for Michael. Perhaps she’s afraid that Alex will take her spot in Michael’s life. She tries to caution Alex to be careful but he blithely brushes her off, assuring her they’re just friends.

The years continue to pass and Michael assumes more responsibility and Alex spends almost all of his time at Michael’s side. He’s all but moved in with Michael, spending most nights at his Earthship. But it seems the happier Michael and Alex are, the more sour Mara becomes. Her sermons start to turn darker and stresses the responsibility of family to each other, but nothing really comes out of it.

When Alex is twenty-five, Kyle returns to Antar for good. He brings with him a woman named Liz, her story similar to the rest of them: mother left when she was young, her sister turned to drugs and died in an overdose, she’s a brilliant scientist who has never felt like she had a home. She’s welcomed with open arms and quickly grows close with Max.

Things settle for a bit, but one dark evening, Michael calls for an emergency meeting in the castle. Xochitl sits next to Alex as the rest of the community files in. Michael and Mara stand solemnly at the front of the hall as they wait for everyone to arrive.

“Family,” Michael begins, “Kyle came to me earlier today with troubling news. He found out that Jim has been planning to leave Antar and report us for being a _ cult _.” There’s a quiet murmuring that breaks out and Xochitl squeezes Alex’s hand. “Family, you know you are free to leave Antar if you choose. We only want to protect you from the dangers of the outside world, so if you are willing to risk it, you can leave. But to threaten the livelihoods of the rest of us? It cannot stand.”

He turns to the side of the room where Max and Isobel are holding a hooded figure. “Jim, you must answer for your crimes against Antar.” Max and Isobel bring him over and force him to his knees and take off the hood. Boos and jeers erupt from the audience and Michael raises a hand to silence them. He closes his eyes and places the hand on Jim’s neck, “May you find peace in the Universe,” he murmurs while the familiar orange glow emits from his hand, and suddenly Jim falls over, limp and dead. A tear has escaped from Michael’s closed eyes and he wipes it away when he opens them again. “I never want to hurt any of you, Family. But sometimes death is a kindness.”

Xochitl slants a look at Alex who is nodding enthusiastically and she squeezes his hand again until he looks over at her. “Let’s go back to my room, I need to talk to you.” She requests in an undertone.

He nods thoughtfully and dutifully follows her back to her room after Michael dismisses them. She puts on a kettle to make tea for them and Alex sits at the small table in her room. He shakes his head, “I can’t believe Jim was going to betray us.”

Xochitl takes a deep breath, “Alex, you have to know what happened tonight was not okay.”

He looks surprised, “You mean what Jim did? Of course I know that.”

“No, how Michael handled it. It’s not normal to just...just kill someone for wanting to leave.” Xochitl says almost hysterically.

“Jim could have left anytime he wanted to, that’s not what the issue was.” Alex protests.

“Alex, we have to leave Antar,” Xochitl begs him to understand.

Alex clenches his jaw and looks away. “I can’t leave. Michael needs me.”

“Baby, it’s not safe here. What happens if they decide we’ve betrayed Antar and they do to us what was done to Jim?” she takes his hands into his and squeezes gently.

Alex swallows thickly. “Jim got what he deserved. He would have brought the police here. He could have destroyed everything.”

Xochitl gasps softly, “How can you say that? Jim was like a father to you. What if Kyle could hear you?”

“Kyle would agree. And Jim was not my father. How can you not understand that Michael had to do what was necessary to protect the rest of us?” Alex demands angrily and yanks his hands away from his mother.

“Alex… ” she starts softly. “Please. I can’t stay here.”

“I can’t leave Michael,” Alex asserts again and starts pacing the room, “He loves me and I love him. He’d fall apart without me. It’s more dangerous to leave and I don’t want to live without him.”

It feels like he’s sucker-punched her. Tears well up in her eyes. “I brought you here because you were sick and I was desperate. I don’t regret doing what I had to to keep you alive. But you don't remember what it’s like away from Antar. It’s not dangerous, there are kind people out there, people who will love you without expecting anything in return.”

He scoffs derisively, “I remember. I remember my father’s poisonous words, how he’d backhand you, how he beat me. He was my father, he was supposed to love me, but he didn’t. If my own father didn’t love me, then how could strangers out there love me?”

“Alex, please,” Xochitl tries again but she’s interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Alex? Are you in there?” comes Michael’s deep timbre.

It’s like Alex has been hypnotized, his entire expression shifts to happiness and he opens the door without hesitation. “Michael,” he greets breathlessly and embraces him tightly as though they’ve been parted for days rather than the mere two hours it was.

“Hi Xochitl,” Michael greets over Alex’s shoulder.

“Hi Michael,” Xochitl responds cautiously.

“I was just with Kyle. He’s broken up about Jim of course, but he’s worried about the rest of us thinking he has the same plans as Jim. We know he doesn’t, he's always been so loyal to Antar. He’s family no matter what,” Michael explains while Alex is still wrapped in his arms. Then he gently pulls Alex out of the embrace and they share a soft look before he returns his gaze back to Xochitl. “I know you were close to Jim. I know this must be difficult for you. Despite straying from the path, he was a good man. But we have a duty to the rest of the people here. We take care of our own.”

Xochitl smiles weakly, “Thank you, Michael.”

“Is there anything I can do to make this time easier for you?” Michael asks.

She looks over to Alex and she wants to beg Michael to let her son go, but Alex is right, Michael never would. Instead, she shakes her head.

Michael approaches Xochitl and places a warm hand on her shoulder, “If you think of anything, please let me know.” He looks back at Alex, “Ready to go home?”

Alex nods, “Let me just say bye to my mother.” Michael nods and leaves them alone again in the room.

“They’re not bad people. They love us.” Alex says quietly. “Michael is my home.”

Xochitl knows. She knows that if she leaves, Alex will never go with her. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Don’t apologize. Please.” Alex begs and takes her hands back into his. “I love you, too. You’ve done so much for me. I don’t want you to be scared or unhappy.”

She takes one hand out if his hold and brushes his fringe out of his eyes. “As long as you’re loved and happy, I’ll be okay.”

Alex smiles winningly. “I am. I’m going to head out now, but can we get breakfast together tomorrow?”

“Of course. You never need to ask,” she murmurs and he envelopes her into a tight hug.

* * *

Alex moves into Michael’s Earthship after that, but he always has breakfast with Xochitl so it’s not as hard as she expects it to be. Mara becomes more paranoid after the incident with Jim, looking for others that might betray Antar. But she’s not preaching as much anymore, Max and Isobel have taken up the pulpit and Michael preaches four days a week.

Xochilt often sees Mara and Michael arguing and by the way Michael clutches Alex close to him, she knows it’s about him. “Oh, Mara doesn’t like me,” Alex responds easily when Xochitl asks him about it. She must look frightened because he’s quick to reassure, “Don’t worry, Michael will never let anything happen to me.” And Xochitl breathes a sigh of relief because it was true, as much as Michael’s love for her son scared her, it also put him in a powerful and safe position.

Alex assists Liz in her science experiments, and they are often inventing different things to make life on the commune easier without using too much electricity. Their current project is something that would help harvest their vegetation faster. Michael stops by their lab with Xochitl one day and Alex excitedly shows Michael the invention. While he’s explaining it, Michael reaches to touch it and it malfunctions, snapping Michael’s hand into it. He howls in pain while Alex and Liz go to pry his hand out and Xochitl hurries to find Mara.

Mara flies into the lab in a fury. She snatches Michael’s hand away from Alex who is cradling it against his chest. She heals it swiftly then turns her rage on Alex. He shrinks in her presence and babbles out apologies. Liz chimes in to explain it was a malfunction and completely accidental, but Mara doesn’t stand down until Micheal tells her to drop it. “Liz and Alex are trying to improve life here. It’s my fault for messing with something I didn’t understand.”

Mara snaps her mouth shut and leaves without further comment. Alex touches Michael’s now healed hand cautiously, “I’m sorry.”

Michael smiles indulgently at Alex, “Nothing to apologize for, darlin’. I’m all better now, see?” he flexes his fingers. Xochitl leaves them to their privacy and continues to worry what Mara could do to her son.

Michael and Kyle periodically leave Antar to get supplies for the commune and they depart a few days after Michael’s accident. Xochitl pleads with Alex to stay in her Earthship while he’s away, but Alex decides to stay in the one he shares with Michael. Xochitl spends the two days in anxiety that Mara will do something to Alex in Michael’s absence.

Evening falls on the second day and everyone gathers in the castle for Mara’s sermon. She rambles through it, sounding drunk, and it’s the first sermon she gives that doesn’t make sense and is incoherent. She suddenly stops mid-sentence and beckons Alex to the front.

Xochitl’s heart drops and she clutches Alex’s arm tightly against her to prevent him from going up. He smiles reassuringly at her and gently pulls out of the hold. He confidently goes up to Mara and when he stands before her, she backhands him so hard it causes him to fall over. Xochitl jumps to her feet to go to his side while gasps reverberate in the hall. Mara turns and glares them down, her power coming off her in waves. Xochitl stumbles back to her seat, crying openly.

“The biggest mistake I ever made was healing you when you first came to Antar,” Mara viciously claims. “You’ve brought nothing but pain to Antar, even hurting our Michael.” Alex watches her from the ground, hand on his bruised cheek and fear in his eyes. She approaches him and effortlessly tosses him onto the table she first healed him on. She presses one hand down on his knee and the other one around his ankle, and with evil and hatred in her eyes, she starts to twist from the ankle. Alex’s screams echo in the deadly silent chamber until they all hear a snap and the congregation wails out with him.

Isobel tries to push Mara off Alex, but she’s stronger than both Isobel and Max and easily tosses her aside. Then turns her attention back to Alex and begins to twist the leg in the other direction and another snap comes from Alex’s wrecked leg. Once she’s satisfied with the bones being snapped, she uses a combination of her hands and telekinetic force to snap his shin out of the leg and with a final howl, Alex passes out.

Just as Mara is about to do the same treatment to the other leg, the door of the castle blasts open and Michael storms in. “Don’t touch him,” he roars and shoves Mara off Alex with his telekinesis. Alex whimpers softly and Michael crouches next to him and cradles his head in his hands. “Kyle, Liz, take Alex and treat his injuries. Take Xochitl with you.” Michael commands. Xochitl’s heart sinks, she knows that if Michael isn’t immediately healing Alex’s leg, that he can’t heal it, it’s beyond help. “Max, Isobel, help me with Mara.” Xochitl hears as she exits with Kyle and Liz.

Xochitl stays by Alex’s side as Kyle tries to set Alex’s leg. He shares a worried look with Liz and she nearly breaks down. Kyle looks devastated and quietly admits, “The bones are wrecked. It would be best to amputate it.”

Xochitl does break down then and Liz goes over to comfort her. “It’s going to be okay, Xochitl. Kyle is the best, he’ll do everything to make sure Alex will be okay.” She ushers Xochitl out of the lab and sits her down on the steps of the Earthship. “I need to help Kyle, will you be okay?”

She nods, preferring to be alone with her grief anyway, and is left on the steps while her son’s leg is severed away. The stars are so beautiful out in the desert, but tonight they look like a mockery to Xochitl. She feels Michael’s warmth before he sits down next to her and wraps her into a side hug, “I’m sorry, Xochitl. I failed you,” he soothes into her hair. She wants to beat her fists into his chest but doesn’t have the energy to do it. “Mara will pay for this. She won’t ever hurt him again.”

His words barely register to Xochitl. She’s overwhelmed by the guilt she feels for bringing her precious boy to Antar, for not doing enough to protect him, and she lets Michael hold and soothe her until she’s all cried out.

* * *

The next few days in Antar are tense. Michael has locked Mara up in his Earthship and has left Max and Isobel in charge while he spends his time at Alex’s side. He’s been sedated, but they don’t have anything stronger, so he’s been delirious and feverish since the amputation. Kyle tends the wounds and has the tools to make sure the wound heals properly and Liz holes up in the lab working on designing a prosthetic for him.

Xochil wanders around Antar untethered, the others give her wide breadth, but when she’s home, Mimi and Michelle hug her while she weeps. She visits Alex early in the morning and always finds Michael already there. He holds Alex’s hand and lays kisses on his knuckles while murmuring sweet words to him. It always feels like she’s interrupting an intimate moment.

Three days later, Alex’s fever breaks, a week later and he’s awake and present though weak. Xochitl rushes to his side when she hears the news that he’s woken up and finds him and Michael locked in an embrace. They’re tightly clutching at each other, foreheads pressed together, eyes closed, and just breathing in the other’s air. She quietly leaves them be, feeling lighter than she has in years.

That night, Michael returns to the pulpit for the first time since Alex’s attack. “Family, we’ve known for some time that Mara is unwell. Perhaps it started with Jim’s betrayal, but we let it carry on too long and our dear Alex paid the price for it. Love and kinship are the core values of Antar and Mara has been spreading hate and division, but we didn’t want to see it because she was our Mother.” Michael looks wrecked but continues. “Family, I think it is time to let Mara return to the Universe.”

Many are crying in the congregation, but some are nodding and none object to his words. Michael closes the sermon thanking them for their loyalty to Antar and requests they offer warmth to the Universe for Alex’s quick recovery.

* * *

Michael kills Mara in her sleep, a mercy Xochitl doesn’t think she deserves, and not much changes in Antar. Michael has been the de facto leader of Antar for years already. Alex continues to get stronger and a month later, he’s ready for the prosthetic. That evening, Michael invites Alex to address the congregation for the first time.

“Thank you for your offerings to the Universe,” Alex begins, “I don’t think I’d be standing here without them. I know things have been tense lately and I want to apologize for my role in it. I hope now that the poison has been sucked out, we can heal and move past this. No one will ever harm our Family again.”

The congregation applauds while Michael moves to embrace Alex and Xochitl sees how he tries to hide his pleased smile in Michael’s chest. When Michael releases him, he addresses the crowd, “Family, you have called me savior, but that’s not quite true. That would be Alex, without his love, I would be nothing. His word is gold and I expect you to treat him with the respect he deserves. He has sacrificed much to the Universe for us and we must honor that sacrifice.” 

As he finishes, Xochilt watches as Michael looks at Alex with utter adoration and pull him into an open-mouthed kiss. And it dawns on Xochitl as Alex wraps his fingers into Michael’s curls and the congregation cheers and applauds, he has Michael and the rest of Antar wrapped around his finger and he’s never letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> Look, I'm not saying everyone in Roswell could be susceptible to joining a cult. But I'm also not not saying that. In any case, I think we can all agree they all need therapy.
> 
> [ Earthships](https://taos.org/places/earthship-biotecture/) are actually real and not cult-y at all! If you're ever in the Taos area, I definitely recommend checking them out, they're really neat.


End file.
